Defining, Refining, and Developing a Topic
Identifying Your Topic
The first step in the research process is, of course, deciding
on a topic to research. Choosing and defining a topic to research
is often an ongoing process and can be one of the most difficult
aspects of your research project. Here are some suggestions for
defining, refining, developing and a topic. However, if you are
having difficulty in identifying a topic, check the Consult
page.
Once you have selected a topic to research, you are ready to proceed.
You probably need to start by,
Refining or Narrowing Your Topic
A topic that is too broad or vague can be refined by focusing on
some specific aspects of the topic.
Example: History of the automobile in the
United States
This topic, as stated, is much to broad; you could right an entire
book on this! The topic can be limited in a number of ways, such
as focusing on a specific:
- time period - Development of the automobile in the U.S.
during the Roaring Twenties.
- geographic area - Introduction of the auto into large
urban areas.
- specific group - The effect of the United Auto Workers
union on the General Motors Corp.
- specific individual - The influence of Henry Ford and
the use of the assembly line in auto production.
- specific event - The effect of the federal Interstate
Highway System on auto travel.
Developing Your Topic
Having refined your topic, you are now ready to develop it further
by looking at some
background information. After you have done some background
reading, you should have some additional ideas about how the topic
can be developed.
Check here for:
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